A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on Wednesday granted a N10 million bail and one surety in like sum to former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim.
KanyiDaily recalls that the police had arrested Ohakin and arraigned him on a three-count charge bordering on criminal defamation after he was accused of defrauding his mistress, Chinyere Amuchienwa, of over N500 million.
Ms Amuchienwa, a businesswoman who resides in Lagos State, said Ohakim obtained money from her under false pretence using the name of Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Works and Housing, for alleged fraud.
Ohakim was alleged to have told the businesswoman that he had a plot of land for sale in Lagos, adding that Fashola was the owner of the purported land situated at Ikeja.
The former governor who denied the accusation after he was arrested by the police, claimed that Ms Amuchienwa assaulted and threatened him with a gun inside his hotel room in the Asokoro area of Abuja.
In the charge marked CR/993/2020, Police alleged that Ohakim who was governor of Imo state from 2007 to 2011, lied that the lady threatened him with a gun, and equally made a false claim that he had a plot of land for sale in Lagos State.
The Police said that the former governor committed an offence punishable under Section 140 of the Penal Code Laws of Northern Nigeria.
“That you Ikedi Ohakim on or about the 23rd day of May, 2019 at Asokoro, did unlawfully gave false information against one Chinyere Amuchienwa, that she threatened you with gun knowing it to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 140 of the Penal Code Law of the Northern Nigeria, 1968.
“That you Ikedi Ohakim, on or about the 23rd day of May, 2019, at Asokoro, did unlawfully gave false information against one Chinyere Amuchienwa, that you have a plot of land for sale at Lagos state, knowing it to be false and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 140 of the Penal Code Law of the Northern Nigeria, 1968,” two of the charges read.
However, the former governor through his lawyer, Ken Njemanze, pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge that was read to him before the trial Justice Samira Bature.
Justice Bature granted the bail in the sum of N10million with one surety in like sum. He also ordered that the surety must be a reputable person in the society with a verifiable address within the Federal Capital Territory.
The judge, however, warned that the bail could be revoked if the defendant was found to interfere with prosecution witnesses. The trial has been fixed for January 25, 2010.
KanyiDaily had also reported how the police arrested a suspect for impersonating Bauchi State Governor and defrauding members of the public of the sum of N37 million.
